18^Sep Sat
05:20

Let’s link up two of the most famous sights of the Bavarian Alps (Walchensee and the view of Zugspitze from Garmisch), along the Estergebirge. This will satisfy the needs of any peakbagger, with at least seven named summits.

This is one very long day, please ensure you have experience of similar distance and ascent before joining, and that you have read the description in its entirety. The plan is to go quickly (you should be comfortable with 5–6 km/h on flat ground, 600 m/h vertically).

Weather

There is a risk of rain. The event will take place this weekend on whichever day has better weather, to be confirmed by Thursday at the latest. If neither day seems safe, I will cancel the event rather than rescheduling to a future weekend.

Kit list

This is what I am bringing; your kit list should be similar. However, be wary of bringing too much weight as it will slow you down.

• trail shoes/hiking boots
• head torch
• first aid kit, survival bag/emergency bivvy
  
• snacks
• lunch (we may not stop at the Weilheimer Hütte depending on time)
  
• cash (for the train ticket, and for a possible stop at the hut)
  
• more snacks
• FFP2/OP mask
• water (at least 2 ℓ, plus optional purification tablets/filter)
• Alpenverein membership, or similar insurance
• walking poles (optional)
• waterproofs (jacket, optional trousers)
• warmth (fleece)
• sunglasses
• sun cream
• phone (please save my number +49 163 2658919/WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger), extra battery
• map (downloaded to your phone with the route, e.g. with ViewRanger, or on paper)
• mat to sit on (optional)
  

Safety

Please observe all laws and guidelines for preventing the spread of coronavirus. I have created this event in order to find other people keen on walking in the mountains, but I am not a guide, and each member is responsible for their own safety. You are expected to familiarise yourself with the route before registering, and only register once you are happy that you can complete it.

There is the option to shorten the route by descending to Farchant, which we will take as a group if continuing seems unsafe. Some of the summits can be omitted by contouring or skipping an out-and-back section. However, these are backup plans in case something goes wrong, and you should still plan to do the entire route as posted.

Transport

We are taking the train and bus from Munich Hauptbahnhof, with a Werdenfels Ticket. We will share the cost of the ticket, which will be between €10 and €16 depending on the group size.

This is outdated, see the section Route Choice below. TL;DR: train at 5:32 to Garmisch, hourly bus 9608 back from Einsiedl at 18:01 at the latest. Trains from Kochel :45 until 19:45, then :16 until 21:16.

Outbound: München Hbf 6:59 – 8:08 Kochel, 8:15 (bus 9608) – 8:36 Walchensee.

Return: Garmisch Partenkirchen – München Hbf

• 17:35 – 18:47
• 18:05 – 19:26
• 18:35 – 19:47
• 19:07 – 20:26
• 19:36 – 20:47
• 20:05 – 21:26
• 21:07 – 22:26
• 22:07 – 23:26
• 23:07 – 00:26

Route choice

This has been planned from Walchensee to Garmisch rather than in reverse to maximise the available time for the last train home, even if this means missing out on potential sunlight and a lake at the end. We have a maximum of 14h30 between arriving and the last train home, whereas in the other direction there would only be 11 hours. However, we do miss out on 1h45 of morning sunlight as a result. The selected bus to Walchensee is the first service available, and terminates at the lift to Herzogstand rather than continuing to Einsiedl. This adds 3 km compared waiting an hour for the following bus. As we will be walking at more than 3 km/h, this is worth it.

The alternative would be to start at Garmisch (train from Hbf 5:32, arrive 6:54) and walk towards Walchensee aiming for the last bus (18:01 from Einsiedl). If we do not make it, we could hitchhike back to Kochel if we miss the last bus. This is of course riskier, especially in a larger group. If no lift can be found, it would be a 15 km walk back to Kochel, mostly along the road (good for continuing to try to find a lift) or alternatively 10 km to Eschenlohe (dark forest roads downhill, so no chance of flagging down a lift). This would mean we’d have 16h20 (6:54 – 23:16) and not miss out on any sunlight. Trains back from Kochel run at :45 until 19:45, then at :16 until 23:16, taking 70-75 mins.

Update Wednesday midday: current forecasts are for rain starting in the evening, between 17:00 and 20:00 (according to Bergfex). For this reason my current preference would be to start from Garmisch instead (5:32 train from Hbf, meeting at 5:20). As before, I will continue to watch the forecasts.

Update Thursday evening: the forecasts have improved again, with the DAV saying that Saturday will be completely dry. I’m still in favour of starting in Garmisch, but if anyone’s not happy with it then we can switch it back.